Brad

"Brad" is a group of friends from the Seattle area who are musicians, including Stone Gossard of Pearl Jam fame. Often considered simply a side-project of Stone's, Brad has a sound all its own, due to the wide variety of influences brought by its members. The distinctive vocals of Shawn Smith (also a member of Pigeonhed and Satchel) are a major factor in this sound.

Brad formed officially in 1993 (though the members had been playing together for a long time before that) with the release of their debut, ''Shame''. Recorded in roughly 20 days, with many tracks taken from in-studio jam sessions, ''Shame'' is an eclectic mix of styles and a raw, vital recording. The song 20th Century was a minor hit in the UK. Their next release, ''Interiors'', in 1997, would be much more polished, and was accompanied by a tour of the US in that year, as well as a small tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1998.

The single from ''Interiors'', "The Day Brings", features Shawn Smith on piano and Stone Gossard (of Pearl Jam) on lead guitar.

A third album, ''Welcome to Discovery Park'', was released in 2002. It is often considered to be an excellent mix of the rawness of ''Shame'' a...